Local News

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Oak Lawn honor Fire and Public Safety Contest winners

By Bob Bong / April 19, 2024 /

By Joe Boyle The Oak Lawn Chamber of Commerce presented awards to the winners of the 2023 Fire and Public Safety Coloring Book Contest at the Oak Lawn Village Board meeting on April 9. Fire Bureau Chief David Wheeler and Police Chief Daniel Vittoro were on hand to present the plaques, along with Oak Lawn Mayor……

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Man dies in Hickory Hills apartment fire

By Bob Bong / January 3, 2024 / Comments Off on Man dies in Hickory Hills apartment fire

By Bob Bong and Nuha Abdessalam The new year had only just begun when tragedy struck families living in a three-story apartment building in Hickory Hills. One man died, a second man was badly injured and several families were displaced by an early morning apartment fire Tuesday. Roberts Park Fire Department Chief Jeff Ketchen said……

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Worth withdraws from Southwest Central Dispatch

By Bob Bong / September 21, 2023 / Comments Off on Worth withdraws from Southwest Central Dispatch

By Joe Boyle The Village of Worth has officially withdrawn from the Southwest Central Dispatch system. An ordinance was approved to drop Southwest Central Dispatch during the Worth Village Board meeting Tuesday night. Another ordinance was approved to withdraw from the Southwest Central 911 system. The village had previously entered into an agreement with Southwest……

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Oak Lawn: Village is in better economic health

By Bob Bong / August 9, 2023 / Comments Off on Oak Lawn: Village is in better economic health

By Joe Boyle After some difficult years due to the pandemic, the economic health of the Village of Oak Lawn is on the rise. Additional funding has gone into the coffers for the Oak Lawn police and fire pensions. Village Manager Tom Phelan admitted during the Oak Lawn Village Board meeting on Aug. 8 that they had……

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Palos Hills enjoys National Night Out

By Kelly White / August 3, 2023 /

By Kelly White Strengthening the relationship between neighbors and local law enforcement, the city of Palos Hills was proud to take part in National Night Out. Palos Hills held its seventh annual National Night Out event on Tuesday at Town Square Park, 8455 W. 103rd Street. “The City of Palos Hills is proud to again……

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Oak Lawn’s ‘Night Out’ is community celebration

By Bob Bong / August 3, 2023 / Comments Off on Oak Lawn’s ‘Night Out’ is community celebration

By Joe Boyle Presentations by the police and fire departments — along with food and music — were the major highlights of the Oak Lawn National Night Out on Tuesday. National Night Out is held the first Tuesday in August. The lone exception is Texas, which marks the occasion in October. National Night Out was……

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Local National Night Out events to celebrate first responders, promote community

By Bob Bong / July 28, 2023 / Comments Off on Local National Night Out events to celebrate first responders, promote community

By Isabella Schreck Many residents will be able to meet their local police officers and police canines, while enjoying food and fun activities at local National Night Out Against Crime events coming up on Tuesday, Aug. 1. The national event, which has occurred every year on the first Tuesday of August for the past four……

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North Palos Fire District starts Fire Buddies chapter 

By Bob Bong / July 16, 2023 / Comments Off on North Palos Fire District starts Fire Buddies chapter 

By Kelly White  Project Fire Buddies brings joy to kids struggling with serious illnesses.  The program launched in 2016 when a group of Oak Forest Firefighters answered a 911 call. A young child who was battling cancer fell ill with a high fever. The department transported the child to the hospital for life-saving treatment, and……

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North Palos asks Worth for help enforcing fire regulations on businesses

By Bob Bong / May 18, 2023 / Comments Off on North Palos asks Worth for help enforcing fire regulations on businesses

By Joe Boyle The North Palos Fire Protection District would like to see businesses that have numerous violations in Worth suffer the consequences. The fire department does not give out the citations specifically. They require an official from the village to give the offending businesses the citations. “North Palos Fire Protection District has been serving……

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Roberts Road, 87th St. intersection reconstruction to begin

By Bob Bong / April 7, 2023 /

The Illinois Tollway is scheduled to begin work to reconstruct the Roberts Road and 87th Street intersection as part of the Central Tri-State Tollway project. Local road and infrastructure improvements will include replacement of the existing pavement on the east side of Roberts Road and the north side of 87th Street as well as installation of new……

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Swanson scores, assists in Red Stars’ win over Reign

The Red Stars improved to 3-1-1 by beating the Seattle Reign, 2-1, on the road on April 21. Mallory Swanson had an assist on an Ali Schlegel goal in the fourth minute and added a goal of her own in the 31st minute. Swanson missed last season after sustaining a knee injury on April 10,……

Tatumn Milazzo, shown at media day before the season started, was amused by winning a Save of the Week award. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Red Stars’ Tatumn Milazzo has top Save of the Week

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Tatumn Milazzo called her achievement “funny.” The Chicago Red Stars defender and Orland Park native was awarded the NWSL’s Save of the Week after chasing down a ball in a loss to Angel City on April 13. The Save of the Week usually goes to a goalie. Milazzo laughed about the……

volleyball

Men’s College Volleyball | Saint Xavier captures fifth straight conference tourney title

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The SXU men’s volleyball team won its fifth straight Chicagoland Christian Athletic Conference tournament championship after a 25-16, 25-17, 25-22 sweep of Calumet College of St. Joseph on April 20 at the Shannon Center. Jan Lopuch had 10 kills and nine digs for the Cougars. With the win, the Cougars (21-8)……

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College Baseball | Saint Xavier upsets Eastern Illinois

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Saint Xavier baseball team picked up a win that its players are going to remember for a long time. The Cougars stunned Eastern Illinois, 4-2, on April 17 in Charleston. It was the Cougars’ first win over the Panthers, a Division I program, since 2005. Lyons grad Troy Stukenberg had……

volleyball

Boys Volleyball | Glenbard West tops Marist to stay unbeaten

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Marist boys volleyball team, ranked fifth in the nation by USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches, lost to Glenbard West, 25-23, 25-21, in the championship match at the Brother Rice Smack Attack on April 20 in Chicago. Glenbard West (19-0) is the two-time defending state champion and is ranked third in the……

Alliyah Flores and her St. Laurence teammates earned academic honors by the IBCA. Photo by Jeff Vorva

St. Laurence hoops teams top honor roll

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Area basketball teams proved to be strong on the court and in the classroom this season, and St. Laurence was the leader of the pack. The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association compiled a list of the top academic teams, and the area did well. In Division 3 girls, St. Laurence was ranked……

St. Rita's David Lyle won honors from the Chicago Bears. St. Rita photo

Chicago Bears recognize St. Rita senior with All-Star award

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Chances are good that few outside of St. Rita football circles know who David Lyle is. With good reason. Lyle missed his senior season for the Mustangs last fall after sustaining a serious knee injury. He even postponed having knee surgery so that he could take care of his ailing father.……

Fire Bureau Chief David Wheeler (from left), Mayor Terry Vorderer and Police Chief Daniel Vittorio congratulate the winners of the 2023 Fire and Safety Coloring Book Contest during the April 9 Oak Lawn Village Board meeting. (Photo by Joe Boyle)

Oak Lawn honor Fire and Public Safety Contest winners

By Joe Boyle The Oak Lawn Chamber of Commerce presented awards to the winners of the 2023 Fire and Public Safety Coloring Book Contest at the Oak Lawn Village Board meeting on April 9. Fire Bureau Chief David Wheeler and Police Chief Daniel Vittoro were on hand to present the plaques, along with Oak Lawn Mayor……

Ross Dress for Less is taking some space in the former Walt's Food Store in Tinley Park. (Photo by Bob Bong)

Comings & Goings: Ross to replace Walt’s at Tinley Park Plaza

By Bob Bong When Walt’s Foods closed its Tinley Park location almost three years ago, it left a giant hole in the Tinley Park Plaza near 159th Street and Harlem Avenue. That hole will soon be filled with a new 22,000-square-foot Ross Dress for Less store and a 9,800-square-foot Five Below store. A construction fence……

This family was one of many that attended an Iftar dinner at Simmons Middle School in Oak Lawn. (Photos by Nuha Abdessalam)

SD122 celebrates end of Ramadan at Simmons Middle School

By Nuha Abdessalam As Ramadan was drawing to a close for Muslims worldwide, District 122’s Superintendent Joseph Matise, Oak Lawn Community High School’s Muslim Students Association club, and the district’s Parents Committee came together to create history. They hosted the first-ever Iftar dinner at Simmons Middle School on April 8, a significant event that hopes……

Illinois News

Senate Democrats send $53.1B spending plan to House

Senate Democrats send $53.1B spending plan to House

By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com Two days after the General Assembly was scheduled to adjourn its spring session, Democrats in the Illinois Senate advanced a $53.1 billion budget to the House Sunday night, where leaders expect it to pass without changes. The fiscal year 2025 spending plan, which came together over a stretch……

Prairie Band Potawatomi land deal clears Senate, will head back to House

Prairie Band Potawatomi land deal clears Senate, will head back to House

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is a step closer to acquiring a 1,500-acre state park in DeKalb County, much of which was once part of a reservation that was illegally seized from the tribe in the mid-19 th century. As the Senate worked through its last……

Budget negotiations will extend into next week as House leaves Springfield

Budget negotiations will extend into next week as House leaves Springfield

By JERRY NOWICKI & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the General Assembly will go at least three more days past their self-imposed adjournment deadline after failing to pass a budget bill Saturday, although the spending and revenue framework were made public for the first time. “The House and Senate are……

Maternal health, abortion protection measures advance as session nears end

Maternal health, abortion protection measures advance as session nears end

By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com In the final days of their spring legislative session, Democrats in the General Assembly advanced measures aimed at expanding and protecting aspects of maternal and women’s health care. If signed into law, the measures would expand insurance coverage of pregnancy and postpartum services, maintain abortion as a viable……

Health insurance changes targeting ‘utilization management,’ more will head to governor

Health insurance changes targeting ‘utilization management,’ more will head to governor

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A package of health insurance reform measures that Gov. JB Pritzker called for at the beginning of the legislative session will soon be headed to his desk for his signature. The Illinois House gave final approval Saturday to a pair of bills that limit the ability……

Capitol Briefs: Republicans sue over law banning legislative candidate slating

Capitol Briefs: Republicans sue over law banning legislative candidate slating

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com One week after Gov. JB Pritzker signed an elections-related measure that his fellow Democrats quickly muscled through the General Assembly, Republicans sued over the new law, alleging the majority party is blocking ballot access to would-be legislative candidates. The law , passed early this month as the legislature’s……

Illinois Supreme Court considers expectation of privacy in hospitals

Illinois Supreme Court considers expectation of privacy in hospitals

By DILPREET RAJU  & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – While Cortez Turner was in a hospital room being treated for a gunshot wound to his leg in 2016, police took his clothes. Now, the Illinois Supreme Court is weighing whether that action violated Turner’s expectation of privacy under the Fourth Amendment. The……

Capitol Briefs: Measure targets ‘legacy’ admission at public universities

Capitol Briefs: Measure targets ‘legacy’ admission at public universities

By DILPREET RAJU, COLE LONGCOR & ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois lawmakers missed a self-imposed Friday deadline for passing a budget, but they had approved more than 250 bills this week as of Friday afternoon. Amid the flurry of legislation was a measure prohibiting state universities from admitting students based on familial and……

Illinois could be 19th state to phase out subminimum wage for disabled workers

Illinois could be 19th state to phase out subminimum wage for disabled workers

By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com After years of negotiations and continued opposition from service providers, Illinois appears poised to prohibit employers from using a federal exemption that allows them to pay individuals with disabilities less than the minimum wage. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established minimum wage law, but created……

Capitol Briefs: Measure blocks interstate probes of abortion services

Capitol Briefs: Measure blocks interstate probes of abortion services

By PETER HANCOCK & COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Authorities in Illinois would not be allowed to aid another state’s investigation of people coming to Illinois to seek abortions or other reproductive health care under a bill that cleared the General Assembly Thursday. House Bill 5239, which needs only a signature from……